Shock absorber member for vehicle, vehicle door panel assembly including shock absorber member and vehicle including door panel assembly

Abstract

A vehicle door panel shock absorber having a outer wall and first and second reinforcing wings each extending between two opposite ends which are unitary with the outer wall, the first and second reinforcing wings crossing themselves at a center inside the outer wall and being unitary with one another at this center.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A shock absorber member for vehicle comprising:
 an outer wall having an inside surface and an outside surface, said outer wall extending on a predetermined height from a first to a second edges along a height direction, 
 at least a reinforcing wing extending longitudinally between two opposite ends which are unitary with the inside surface of the outer wall, said reinforcing wing extending transversally along the height direction from a first to a second edges and having a width between said first and second edges which is inferior to the predetermined height of the outer wall at said ends of said wing, 
 wherein the first edge of said wing is offset from the first edge of the outer wall at said ends of the wing in the direction of the second edge and the second edge of said wing is offset from the second end of the outer wall at said ends of the wing in the direction of the first edge, and 
 wherein the width between said first and second edges increases towards the center of said wing. 
 
     
     
       2. The shock absorber member for vehicle according to  claim 1 , wherein said shock absorber member is an injection-molded thermoplastic part. 
     
     
       3. The shock absorber member for vehicle according to  claim 1 , wherein said outer wall has a thickness which varies along the height direction thereof. 
     
     
       4. The shock absorber member for vehicle according to  claim 1 , wherein said reinforcing wing has a thickness which varies along the height direction thereof. 
     
     
       5. The shock absorber member for vehicle according to  claim 4 , wherein a plurality of reinforcing wings are extending longitudinally between two opposite ends which are unitary with the outer wall, each of said plurality of reinforcing wings extending transversally along the height direction from a first to a second edges and having a width between said first and second edges which is inferior to the predetermined height of the outer wall at the ends of said wings, and are crossing themselves while being integral one with the others. 
     
     
       6. The shock absorber member for vehicle according to  claim 5 , wherein the height of at least two different reinforcing wings are different one from the other. 
     
     
       7. The shock absorber member for vehicle according to  claim 1 , wherein the shock absorber member is made in a mold having a first and a second part defining between them a cavity when first and second part are in contact, so as to define a split line which define on the molded part the border between a first portion coining from the first part of the mold and a second portion coming from the second part of the mold, said split line being arranged at a distance of said first and second edge of the outer wall. 
     
     
       8. The shock absorber member for vehicle according to  claim 7  wherein said split line is arranged at a distance of the first and second edge of the outer wall comprised between one third and two third of the total height, and preferably in the middle of the total height. 
     
     
       9. The shock absorber member for vehicle according to  claim 7 , wherein said outer wall has constant thickness between said first edge and the split line and decreasing from the split line to the second edge. 
     
     
       10. The shock absorber member for vehicle according to  claim 7 , wherein said reinforcing wing has a thickness increasing between said first edge and the split line and decreasing from the split line to the second edge. 
     
     
       11. A vehicle door panel assembly including:
 a vehicle door panel, 
 and at least one shock absorber member according to any one of the preceding claims, said shock absorber member being unitary with said car door panel and said height of the outer wall of said shock absorber member being substantially perpendicular to said vehicle door panel. 
 
     
     
       12. The vehicle door panel assembly according to  claim 11 , wherein said vehicle door panel includes a main carrier and an inner carrier borne by said main carrier, said shock absorber member being borne by said inner carrier. 
     
     
       13. The vehicle door panel assembly according to  claim 12 , wherein said main carrier is covering at least the shock absorber member. 
     
     
       14. The vehicle having at least one door fitted with a vehicle door panel assembly according to  claim 11  and a seat in correspondence with said door, wherein said shock absorber member is disposed inside the door, in correspondence with a normal position of the pelvis of a user seated on said seat.